UPDATE 1-Iran urges U.S. to unblock aircraft deals, seeks investors

TEHRAN, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Iran urged the United States on
Sunday to remove remaining obstacles to buying passenger planes
following the lifting of international sanctions and it spread
out the welcome mat to foreign investors as it seeks to boost
its aviation sector.

Iran provisionally agreed earlier this year to buy over 200
jets worth $50 billion at list prices from Airbus and
Boeing under an agreement between Tehran and world powers
to ease sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear
activities.

Both deals hinge on a longer-than-expected process of
winning U.S. Treasury approval, which is needed because of the
high proportion of U.S. parts in virtually all modern jetliners,
including those made by Europe's Airbus.

There have also been delays in getting European banks to
finance the deals because of restrictions over the use of U.S.
dollars and concerns over legal risks if sanctions are
re-imposed.

Roads and Urban Development Minister Abbas Akhoundi told an
aviation conference that Iran was complying with its obligations
and continued to negotiate with other planemakers.

"We are negotiating with all those big names. ... There are
a lot of obstacles but I am sure that because we have respected
all the international rules and regulations, all those problems
are going to be resolved," he told the CAPA Aviation Finance
Summit, the second large gathering of aviation leaders in Tehran
since sanctions were lifted in January.

Critics in the U.S. Congress argue that Iran could use
passenger jets for military purposes such as transporting
fighters to battle U.S. troops or allies in Syria or transfer
the aircraft to airlines still under U.S. sanctions.
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